Levy Leads Dressage Team at Lake Erie

Three Albion dressage riders stamped their tickets to the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) national championship show during the double-header at Lake Erie College (Painesville, OH) over the weekend, capping an already-strong season for the Britons.

Lauren Levy (Amherst, MA/Stoneleigh-Burnham School) led the team with first and second place finishes at First Level, respectively.  Levy made the switch to Albion’s dressage team in the fall after two successful years on the hunt seat team.

Following her example were junior Alyssa Olson (Clarkston/Clarkston), who qualified for nationals at Lower Training Level and first-year student Paige Gustafson (Dexter/Dexter), who will compete in Upper Training Level.

It will be the first IDA National Championship appearance for all three students, but not for coach Danielle Menteer, who has taken Albion riders to the national level every year since her arrival at the Held Equestrian Center in the fall of 2007.

“This has been a very strong team all season and it’s exciting to still have one more show ahead of us,” Menteer said.  “All of our riders worked hard this season and I’ve been consistently impressed with how far everyone’s riding has come since fall.”

Other notable performances over the weekend came from first-year Paige Trudeau (Howell/Howell), who earned a second place finish at Upper Training Level and team captain Nora Cox (Minneapolis, MN/Homeschool) who finished in third place at Introductory Level.

The 2012 IDA National Championship competition will be hosted by Centenary College (Hackettstown, NJ) on April 28 and 29.